“Mqhekezweni Great Place is the location of abaThembu traditional authority that has remained,in certain aspects, the same as the pre-colonial administrative system. The Traditional Authoritysurvived colonial and apartheid governments as the custodian of cultural rights, customs andthe retention of traditional governance. Nelson Mandela’s stay here as a child offers insight intothe democracy of these traditional systems. It is a place where the values of active democracyand participatory citizenship were practiced and exhibited, greatly impressing young NelsonMandela and profoundly influencing his notions and style of leadership as a prominent leader inthe Liberation Struggle and South Africa’s first democratically elected president.”
